Neuroimaging Basics
Steven R. Flanagan, MD Howard A Rusk Professor & Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine NYU School of Medicine Rusk Institute of Rehab Medicine New York, New York
Outline
CT
Basics
Stroke
Bland
Hemorrhage
TBI
MRI
Basics
T1, T2
FLAIR
GRE/SWI
DWI/PWI
DTI
CT Scan Basics
Right is left and Left is right
RIGHT LEFT
CT Scan Basics
Right is left and Left is right
Gray matter is lighter than white matter
CT Scan Basics
Right is left and Left is right
Gray matter is lighter than white matter
White matter is darker than gray matter
CT Scan Basics
Right is left and Left is right
Gray matter is lighter than white matter
White matter is darker than gray matter
Water (CSF) is dark
CT Scan Basics
Right is left and Left is right
Gray matter is lighter than white matter
White matter is darker than gray matter
Water (CSF) is dark
Bone and calcifications are bright
Air is darkest
Acute blood is bright
Edema is dark (Implies the blood is intraparenchymal i.e.: intraparenchymal vs. extra-axial)
Chronic blood is dark (the darker the older)
CT and Standard MRI Scan
You can see the big stuff
You can’t see
Microscopic
Function
Copyright © 2008 by the American Roentgen Ray Society
Parrish, F. J. Am. J. Roentgenol. 2007;189:528-534
--52-year-old woman with acute stroke
Acute stroke
Acute stroke
Acute Stroke
HTN-related Hemorrhage
Basal Ganglia
Thalamus
Cerebellum
Pons
Other Cerebral Hemorrhages
AVM
Trauma
Neoplasm
Amyloid Angiopathy
TBI - Focal Injury
Focal Contusions
Inferior Frontal Lobe
TBI - Focal Injury
Focal Contusions
Inferior Frontal Lobe
Anterior Tip Temporal Lobe
Extra-axial Hemorrhage Anatomy
Epidural Hemorrhage
Epidural space is a potential space between the skull and dura
Epidural Hemorrhage
Epidural space is a potential space between the skull and dura
Dura is very strongly adherent to the skull at the sutures
Epidural Hemorrhage
Epidural space is a potential space between the skull and dura
Dura is very strongly adherent to the skull at the sutures
Arterial (usually)
Epidural Hemorrhage
Epidural space is a potential space between the skull and dura
Dura is very strongly adherent to the skull at the sutures
Arterial (usually)
Associated with skull fracture and injury to the middle meningeal artery (sometimes dural sinus)
Subdural Hemorrhage
Subdural space is located between the dura and the arachnoid
Extra-axial Hemorrhage Anatomy
Subdural Hemorrhage
Subdural space is located between the dura and the arachnoid
Venous
Subdural Hemorrhage
Subdural space is located between the dura and the arachnoid
Venous
Tearing of bridging veins
Cerebral Atrophy results in increased tension of bridging veins
Increased incidence of SDH in elderly
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Subarachnoid space is located between the arachnoid and the pia
Extra-axial Hemorrhage Anatomy
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Subarachnoid space is located between the dura and the pia
Arterial
Traumatic Axonal Injury
CT of DAI
Traumatic Axonal Injury
Axons and cerebral vessels subjected to shear and torque
Results in microhemorrhages typically too small to be imaged by conventional scans
DAI
Petechial Hemorrhage
T1 MRI
Gray matter is darker than white matter
CSF is dark
Air is darkest
T1 MRI
Gray matter is darker than white matter
CSF is dark
Air is darkest
T1 MRI
Gray matter is darker than white matter
CSF is dark
Air is darkest
T2 Weighted MRI
Gray matter is lighter than white matter
CSF is bright (Water, edema)
Air is still darkest
T2 Weighted MRI
Gray matter is lighter than white matter
CSF is bright (Water, edema)
Air is still darkest
T2 Weighted MRI
Gray matter is lighter than white matter
CSF is bright (Water, edema)
Air is still darkest
MRI and acute stroke
Diffusion Weighted Images
Detects the movement/speed of water diffusion
Decreased
Cytotoxic edema
Increased
Vasogenic edema
Diffusion Weighted MRI
DWI, PWI, and ADC
FLAIR (FLuid Attenuated Inversion Recovery) vs
T2
FLAIR
Heavy T2 weighted image
Attenuates signal coming from fluid
Gradient Echo
Susceptibility Weighted MR
Takes advantage of contrast differences in tissue with different susceptibility than surrounding tissue with long echo times
Hemoglobin breakdown products have high susceptibility
Permits imaging of microscopic hemorrhages associated with DAI GRE kicked up a notch
Susceptibility Weighted Imaging
High-spatial-resolution susceptibility MR Significantly greater sensitivity than GRE in
detecting lesions re: Size (<10mm2)
Number
Volume
Distribution
Longer acquisition time increases potential for motion artifact (n.b. less time in 3T vs. 1.5T)
Susceptibility Weighted Imaging
High-spatial-resolution susceptibility MR Significantly greater sensitivity than GRE in
detecting lesions re: Size (<10mm2)
Number
Volume
Distribution
Longer acquisition time increases potential for motion artifact (n.b. less time in 3T vs. 1.5T)
Swi.jpg
Samuel RS et al. Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am 2009;17:47-61
Diffusion Tensor
Imaging
Water diffuses
faster along an
axon than across it
isotropy
Fractional Anisotropy (FA) indicative of axonal (fiber tract) integrity
Left-Right
Anterior-
Posterior
Cranial-
Caudal
Thank you